By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Leading Olympic official, John Coats said on Saturday that while Japanese sentiment against the Tokyo Games is a “concern”, he does not project a scenario in which the sporting event will not proceed.
Doubts arose about the feasibility of holding the Games in a state of emergency in Tokyo in July and August, with Japan still struggling to stop the Kovid-19 pandemic.
An official of the International Olympic Committee for the Games (IOC) as the chairman of the coordination committee, Coats said he had no doubt that the Games would be postponed for a year already due to the epidemic, which was planned. Will move forward.
“Absolutely, it will go ahead,” Cot told reporters after hosting the annual Australian Olympic Committee (COA) general meeting in Sydney.
“The Prime Minister of Japan said this to the President of the United States two or three weeks ago. He continues to say this to the IOC.”
Coats expressed confidence that a “handbook” on health-related needs for all participants was a “guide to safe and successful sports”, as revealed by the organizers last week.
Protests against the Olympics in Japan are increasing, however, and more than 230,000 people have signed a petition to repeal it.
(By Nick Mulvaney)
Copyright © Thomson Reuters.
